Am I eating enough?

[Donutz]

Depending on which calculator you use, and the activity multiplier (some calculators use terrible multipliers) your BMR is around 1900, and your TDEE around 2800 (to me the calculator is off, and I'd suspect you need more than 2800, but it's a starting point). If you really want to dial in your diet you need to track your calories (weigh your food) and set up your macros for your goals. Then adjust your intake based on the results you're getting.

Personally, I don't like cardio (hate it actually). So take this with a grain of salt; you're doing too much cardio. If you like it that's great, but if you're only using cardio to cut weight I'd suggest sticking to 3-5 30 minute HIIT sessions a week. Aside from this make sure you do the 'big lifts' every week.

If you feel your energy tanking as the weeks go by consider a carb refeed day, or two if necessary.

[FType22]

Updates:

I took everyone's advice in stride here, thank you all for the contributions, I wasn't sure what kind of response I was going to get. Even after years of working out it doesn't seem like I've gained any knowledge at all regarding so much of what's important during training days. Then again, I don't beat myself up about it because it isn't my job, it's a hobby and a lifestyle.

I increased my calories the same day this subject was started. I realized I was afraid of over eating and I had some inner turmoil around taking in extra food, but I noticed after two days my abs were actually looking better and I wasn't feeling/looking bloated or lacking definition. I also noticed that my energy during workouts increased but my strength hasn't increased yet. I took two days off this weekend to kind of allow my legs to recover (I have a tight T-band that I've been working through with a foam roller but it's taking time to heal).

At night I have been able to sleep fine but after my workouts I have noticed I'm in a better mood and have more energy to finish off the rest of my day. The changes I made were as follows:

-Added extra scoop of protein to my morning and night-time shakes.
-Increased the amount of rice I have been eating, which seems to have helped significantly on cardio days.
-Eating more, but healthier: Usually on weekends on tend to slip a little on my diets, cheat meals turn into cheat days. This weekend I kept to my summer goals and stayed on the straight and narrow, increasing calories but keeping the foods healthy.
-Eating more often: Instead of waiting for lunch, I eat when I'm hungry and I don't try to stretch my meals out throughout the work day. I've found I'm just full enough before the gym to workout without being impacted by a full stomach, but I also am not hungry and distracted either, it's been a good balance.

Thank you to everyone who has made contributions. I'm sure I'll be back here for more advice in the future.

[FType22]

Originally Posted by Donutz

Depending on which calculator you use, and the activity multiplier (some calculators use terrible multipliers) your BMR is around 1900, and your TDEE around 2800 (to me the calculator is off, and I'd suspect you need more than 2800, but it's a starting point). If you really want to dial in your diet you need to track your calories (weigh your food) and set up your macros for your goals. Then adjust your intake based on the results you're getting.

Personally, I don't like cardio (hate it actually). So take this with a grain of salt; you're doing too much cardio. If you like it that's great, but if you're only using cardio to cut weight I'd suggest sticking to 3-5 30 minute HIIT sessions a week. Aside from this make sure you do the 'big lifts' every week.

If you feel your energy tanking as the weeks go by consider a carb refeed day, or two if necessary.

After googling the terms BMR and TDEE I can now respond to this! I do have a food scale but honestly, I mostly estimate things such as my chicken breast weight or the amount of veggies (what exactly is 1 cup of green beans or asparagus? they won't fit in a cup!)

I do like cardio, but I like it both for the "me time" aspect and because I like how more defined it seems to get my obliques. Like I said, lately I've been doing more because the Warriors play during my gym time and it's fun to run and watch them.

I do alternate my HIIT in with my running. I've been trying to cycle in some more lower impact cardio (elliptical, incline walking, stair master) because my T-band has been upset and it's ruining my leg days (knee so tight squats are unbearable). HIIT is one of the more rewarding cardio activities, I feel, because of how hard it is and how good I feel succeeding at the end of it. I think your calorie estimate is probably pretty darn close to what I should be eating though, and that has been my target range as well. I'm probably still a little short of that goal but I am working up to it. Thank you for contribution!

[Frozen]

Originally Posted by DJP86

Updates:

I took everyone's advice in stride here, thank you all for the contributions, I wasn't sure what kind of response I was going to get. Even after years of working out it doesn't seem like I've gained any knowledge at all regarding so much of what's important during training days. Then again, I don't beat myself up about it because it isn't my job, it's a hobby and a lifestyle.

I increased my calories the same day this subject was started. I realized I was afraid of over eating and I had some inner turmoil around taking in extra food, but I noticed after two days my abs were actually looking better and I wasn't feeling/looking bloated or lacking definition. I also noticed that my energy during workouts increased but my strength hasn't increased yet. I took two days off this weekend to kind of allow my legs to recover (I have a tight T-band that I've been working through with a foam roller but it's taking time to heal).

At night I have been able to sleep fine but after my workouts I have noticed I'm in a better mood and have more energy to finish off the rest of my day. The changes I made were as follows:

-Added extra scoop of protein to my morning and night-time shakes.
-Increased the amount of rice I have been eating, which seems to have helped significantly on cardio days.
-Eating more, but healthier: Usually on weekends on tend to slip a little on my diets, cheat meals turn into cheat days. This weekend I kept to my summer goals and stayed on the straight and narrow, increasing calories but keeping the foods healthy.
-Eating more often: Instead of waiting for lunch, I eat when I'm hungry and I don't try to stretch my meals out throughout the work day. I've found I'm just full enough before the gym to workout without being impacted by a full stomach, but I also am not hungry and distracted either, it's been a good balance.

Thank you to everyone who has made contributions. I'm sure I'll be back here for more advice in the future.

Great, sounds like you took some of the advice. So you added more protein and more rice, but you didn't add any more fat? When you say you had some inner turmoil about overeating, do you think you also have the same inner turmoil about eating too much fat? Add some grass fed butter on that rice or put a big tablespoon of almond butter into that protein shake & cook your meals in coconut oil. Even better make your protein shakes with full fat coconut milk. I bet your testosterone levels may also be low due to the over training and low fat diet. Cholesterol is the building block of testosterone and you need fat to produce it.

[FType22]

Originally Posted by e90m305

Great, sounds like you took some of the advice. So you added more protein and more rice, but you didn't add any more fat? When you say you had some inner turmoil about overeating, do you think you also have the same inner turmoil about eating too much fat? Add some grass fed butter on that rice or put a big tablespoon of almond butter into that protein shake & cook your meals in coconut oil. Even better make your protein shakes with full fat coconut milk. I bet your testosterone levels may also be low due to the over training and low fat diet. Cholesterol is the building block of testosterone and you need fat to produce it.

Haha funny you ask! I actually added 1 tablespoon of butter to the rice and a tablespoon of peanut butter to my protein shakes. I made some steamed veggies and pan fried them after in some butter, but I felt pretty guilty about that and am not sure if I will do it again. Though they did taste delicious.

I havent thought of adding coconut oil or milk, I'm using almond milk right now, i usually use regular milk but my gf drinks almond milk and I'd rather not have anything go to waste.

[csu87]

trying to cut and gain muscle is a near impossible feat for most people. the best thing that has worked for me is to go through a bulking period (dont worry a lot about your BF% during this time, but dont get overly "Fat") then go through a cutting period. The only way to gain muscle is to eat a lot, so any diet that is calorie negative or even, isnt going to gain you muscle.

You end up putting on 10-15lbs in a couple months during your bulking period, and lose about half that during cutting. You lose some muscle mass, but if done right, you net a gain in muscle mass while keeping your BF% the same or lower as before you started.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by DJP86

Lately I've been increasing my cardio to prepare for summer but I've noticed a tremendous lack of energy. This was happening a month or two back when I was trying to cut calories but maintain my workouts, I also noticed my strength dropping but my weight remaining the same.

If you are experiencing a lack of energy, it is almost entirely diet related. Your strength will be affected during a cut. There's no way around that. You can minimize it by supplementing, but there will be a change.

Originally Posted by DJP86

Now: I've been aiming for about 10k steps a day + 90-120 minutes of weight training 4-5 days a week. I get my steps with a 30 minute walk during the day and anywhere from 30-40 minutes of running/HIIT/walking depending on how I feel each day, but I usually run at least 2.5 miles a day post workout.

Contrary to what some other people in this thread have suggested, I don't see anything wrong with a 90-120 minute workout. Hell, the way.......and the weight that I squat, for example, it takes about 90 minutes for me to complete a workout, and I'm no chump in the weight room. The trick is: diet! You have to eat to power yourself through workouts. Are you willing to change your cardio approach to reduce muscle/strength loss? You can take a similar approach to cutting that many of us body builder types implement; namely....low intensity stairclimber (...a lot of it fasted, first thing in the morning).

Originally Posted by DJP86

I've changed my diet to

Breakfast:
1 8oz protein + berry + almond milk shake

Snacks:
low fat yogurt w/ high fiber cereal (its about 150 calories per serving but I can only handle about 1/4 cup of the stuff which is 1/3rd of a serving)

Rice cakes or a protein bar (power crunch, say 150-200 calories, maybe 2-5g of sugar).

Lunch:
Chicken breast w/ rice or steamed veggies

Snack:
rice cake again

Dinner:
Chicken breast + carbs (either green salad w/ carrots cucumber red pepper and olive oil/vinegar dressing, or 1 cup of cooked rice, or about 3 cups of steamed veggies)

later snack:
1 8oz protein + berry + almond milk shake


It sounds like I'm eating a ton, but I think calorie wise I'm a bit low. I'm estimating I burn roughly 3k calories on most of my hard cardio days. Weekends I tend to drink alcohol with no soda mixers (friday and saturday night).

You're not eating enough!!!! Ditch the shakes for meals, ditch the rice cakes and protein bars (..protein bars can be good in emergencies however), and eat more whole food.

Originally Posted by DJP86

TLDR:
Am I eating enough to lose fat + gain muscle based on my diet?

Unless you're a genetic freak, and there are very few of us out there, you can't do both. You are either growing (...which includes some fat gain), or you are losing fat (...which includes some muscle loss).

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by fecurtis

Either you aren't going in hard enough with the weights and the reps or you are going to seriously hurt yourself, holy hell that's a long ass time.

Not really!

Originally Posted by Wolf 335

I think this is your problem. You should not be doing cardio every day after a workout.

I tend to agree with this....well, at least not the type of cardio he is doing. Cardio in and of itself isn't the problem. His diet is!

OP, I'd also stay away from arbitrary numbers like 1 lb. of protein per pound of body weight, etc. It's marketing bro-science. You don't need that much protein to grow.

[FType22]

Next update:

Seems like everything is working well. I've been feeling less muscle soreness after hard work outs and my energy is remaining high into the evening but I'm sleeping like a baby. I think my strength is starting to improve, I put up some good weight (for me) on Thursday.

side note: I think I have an IT band issue and I can't squat anymore. It hurts like a mother fucker. I basically felt like I was doing a rehab assignment while working legs on Friday. Anyone dealt with this before? Sedan_Clan I'm looking at you!

[csu87]

I have dealt with pain while squatting (knee ligament issues not IT band) and the thing that got me through it the best was leg press and smith machine squats. Both have fixed paths of motion and you arent trying to stabilize yourself.

[FType22]

Originally Posted by csu87

I have dealt with pain while squatting (knee ligament issues not IT band) and the thing that got me through it the best was leg press and smith machine squats. Both have fixed paths of motion and you arent trying to stabilize yourself.

I did notice i was really sore at the start of using the leg press, but after my second set it seemed to be much better. I read the problem can come from too much tension from lack of stretching or weak quads, but I've never felt this before so any help is appreciated. Thanks for the $.02!

[Mr.SugarSkulls]

Didn't read through all the comments but I'll try to be constructive.

Start counting your macros. You won't be hungry and you'll actually see results much faster than expected.

Simply look up "iifym calculator" on google and input your data.

You'll need a weight scale for your food- but it's honestly done wonders for my physique because it's using the right blend of fats, proteins and carbs all together.

[Donutz]

Originally Posted by DJP86

side note: I think I have an IT band issue and I can't squat anymore. It hurts like a mother fucker. I basically felt like I was doing a rehab assignment while working legs on Friday. Anyone dealt with this before?

Have you had this professionally assessed? I would start here. Generally speaking it sounds like you might need some deep tissue / fascial massage, or AR therapy, if the pain is related to fascial / muscular tension or lack of strength and you don't have a more serious injury.

If you squat without weight do you still experience pain?

[FType22]

Originally Posted by Donutz

Have you had this professionally assessed? I would start here. Generally speaking it sounds like you might need some deep tissue / fascial massage, or AR therapy, if the pain is related to fascial / muscular tension or lack of strength and you don't have a more serious injury.

If you squat without weight do you still experience pain?

To answer you question, yes. It pretty much always hurts when I move my leg in a way that engages the IT band. So for instance, while I never do the hip abductor machine, I have begun doing it to strengthen that part of my leg to see if it helps, on top of foam rolling and doing some lunges instead of squats.

It is bothered after running or when I start certain leg exercises as well.

[FType22]

Originally Posted by Mr.SugarSkulls

Didn't read through all the comments but I'll try to be constructive.

Start counting your macros. You won't be hungry and you'll actually see results much faster than expected.

Simply look up "iifym calculator" on google and input your data.

You'll need a weight scale for your food- but it's honestly done wonders for my physique because it's using the right blend of fats, proteins and carbs all together.

I have a food scale fortunately, which I have begun using for my meals

[TBN54]

Here I am eating a big mac reading this thread.

Back to the gaming section of the forums..

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by DJP86

Next update:

Seems like everything is working well. I've been feeling less muscle soreness after hard work outs and my energy is remaining high into the evening but I'm sleeping like a baby. I think my strength is starting to improve, I put up some good weight (for me) on Thursday.

side note: I think I have an IT band issue and I can't squat anymore. It hurts like a mother fucker. I basically felt like I was doing a rehab assignment while working legs on Friday. Anyone dealt with this before? Sedan_Clan I'm looking at you!

IT band issues are common. You should start foam rolling your IT band daily to help loosen it up. While foam rolling isn't true self-myofascial release, it does help.

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by Donutz

Have you had this professionally assessed? I would start here. Generally speaking it sounds like you might need some deep tissue / fascial massage, or AR therapy, if the pain is related to fascial / muscular tension or lack of strength and you don't have a more serious injury.

I agree with this if the foam rolling doesn't cure the issue. Most people are really tight, and other muscles over-compensate because of it.

[FType22]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

I agree with this if the foam rolling doesn't cure the issue. Most people are really tight, and other muscles over-compensate because of it.

well back when i did legs a little bit more aggressively i could do about 225 but my strength started to go down and it went to 185 and then 185 got hard, but through it all leg press, leg extensions, deadlifts, they all went up in strength. Probably because I couldn't expend as much effort on squats.

I've only been foam rolling for a couple weeks, and not as consistent as i should, but. we will see.

[IndotagSwizz]

Originally Posted by Delta0311

Are you training for the concentration camp Olympics?

What exactly is your goal because this is a starvation diet. You weight train for 90min - 2hrs. That's some serious over training even if you're on steroids. Low fat should not even be in your vocabulary, FAT IS NOT BAD FOR YOU.

Protein wise you should aim for 1g for every pound of body-weight. Chick breasts, veggies are good for you but don't pack a lot of calories. Rice cakes? That is something I'd picture an anorexic model eating and not a guy trying to put on lean muscle.

Your problem is that your workouts are way too long and the foods you are eating have a very low caloric density.

Throw in some fish and beef into your diet.. Add some rice and sweet potatoes.
For shakes I usually do this
1 or 2 scoops of Impact Whey protein (flavorless) after doing a lot of research I found their isolate to be the best
mix of veggies: broccoli, carrots, celery, kale
mix with some almond milk
add some peanut butter or almond butter for extra calories

Cut carbs too much and your energy will suffer. Cut fats and your joints will suffer.

+1 you are clearly over training...simple way to figure this out..if you ever train a certain muscle and the day after or the day after that you don't feel that particular muscle sore that is a clear sign of over training. You need more rest, believe or not muscles grow a lot while you rest as well. Try adding a day of rest in between your workouts and in my opinion running that much every single day is just too much unless you are training for the Olympics

[Sedan_Clan]

Originally Posted by DJP86

well back when i did legs a little bit more aggressively i could do about 225 but my strength started to go down and it went to 185 and then 185 got hard, but through it all leg press, leg extensions, deadlifts, they all went up in strength. Probably because I couldn't expend as much effort on squats.

I've only been foam rolling for a couple weeks, and not as consistent as i should, but. we will see.

Your squat and deadlift grow together; essentially the squat will improve your deadlift. Keep working on that squat. I'd personally use the Leg Press sparingly, or maybe as a finisher (..with only moderate weight) after my primary lifts were complete.

[FType22]

Originally Posted by Sedan_Clan

Your squat and deadlift grow together; essentially the squat will improve your deadlift. Keep working on that squat. I'd personally use the Leg Press sparingly, or maybe as a finisher (..with only moderate weight) after my primary lifts were complete.

I have been using it as my "rehab" machine" lately. But prior to that I was using it for a small stance squat? I don't know what it's called. I was just doing a work out that said shoulder with back squat, then leg press with your feet closer together to get a different engagement of your legs. But I never feel much from leg press, only squat/deadlift/lunges (fuck lunges)